Parenting Panel with George Collins

George Collins is a former professional musician who just released his debut EP, It’s Been a Long Time. The album is a collection of 5 songs that explore the complexities of the human experience. His songs feature instantly hummable melodies, subtle but smart counterpoint, clever chord sequences, ace musicianship, and vocals that ooze soulful rock n’ roll longing.

We got a chance to speak with George in this edition of our Parenting Panel series. Let’s dive in:

How many children do you have? And what are their names and ages?

I have two daughters – Julie, aged 10, and Stella, aged 6.

Did you have fears or concerns about how becoming a parent would interfere with your artistic endeavors?

I was fortunate to be able to retire from my career in finance at the time my first daughter was born, as I wanted to be a full-time dad as well as a full-time writer and musician.  

Have those fears come true, or no?

Being a parent and being an artist can be all-consuming – the challenge is keeping those roles in balance, which is something I work on every day.

In what ways has parenthood helped your creativity, if any?

I heard somewhere that “If you have children when you’re young, they make you old, but if you have children when you’re old, they keep you young.”  That is certainly true in my case.  I was fifty years old when my first daughter was born, and in raising my daughters over the past decade I have rediscovered all the old books, songs, fairy tales, stories, films, shows, etc. that I enjoyed as a child, which has been a delight and has certainly stoked my own creativity.  In addition, my daughters are both extremely musical (no surprise there!) and they continually introduce me to new artists, which helps keep me current and has broadened my own musical palette considerably.

What has parenthood taught you about yourself, your music, or your creative process?

Becoming a first-time father at a relatively advanced age has provided me with new perspectives and experiences that most men my age either never had or forgot about long ago.  Moreover, through my children I have regained the ability to see the world through a child’s eyes at a time of life when most men are set in their ways, have abandoned their youthful dreams, or are otherwise shutting down and closing off their horizons.  In short, my young children are teaching me to see magic and the sublime in our daily lives and to look toward to the future with energy and enthusiasm.  All of these important lessons inform and influence my writing and songwriting every day.

How do you juggle your family and your career?  Who is your support system?

Since retiring from my financial firm ten years ago, my music and my writing have been my full-time career, and my two young daughters have been the center of my life.  Every day brings new challenges in terms of time management amidst compelling and competing priorities, but I am gradually becoming better at juggling the myriad tasks and demands of my artistic and domestic lives.  At the end of the day, however, family comes first.  Always.  Of course, I would not be able to do what I do without the unfailing support of, and close coordination with, my wonderful wife of twenty-two years.  

Has the pandemic taken away from or added to your creative flow?  Are you taking care of yourself these days?

I sincerely hope the pandemic is finally behind us, but I must say that, despite all the challenges of lockdowns and home schooling, the pandemic was an extremely productive time for me.  During this period I wrote, recorded and released my first EP and also made considerable progress on my novel and screenplay – perhaps because I couldn’t go anywhere!  But on the flip side, because of all the projects I started juggling, lately I have not been taking as good care of myself as I had done in recent years.  Striking a balance and finding time for self-care is now one of my top priorities.

What’s one thing you wish someone had told you before you became a parent?  Any advice for others?

I didn’t quite expect parenthood to be as all-consuming as it is – there is never any time off.  Advice?  Sleep whenever possible – never turn down a nap!

Have you ever written a song for or about your kids?  If so, please share a description and a link.

I recently completed a song for my young daughters called “My Wish for You.”  It evolved from some lines I wrote while walking back from the hospital after the birth of my first daughter ten years ago.  I am recording it now and it will appear on my next EP, “Songs for Grownups,” which I will release next year.  So I will share a link when you interview me for that release!  😊

Not every artist parent incorporates their children into their music – if you do not was this a conscious decision?

As noted above, I have written one song directly to my daughters, and as they are such an integral and important part of my life, they shape my overall world view and so are implicitly incorporated into my songwriting as well as my fiction.

How have you been managing parenting during the pandemic?  What has been the hardest part and what was the silver lining?

For us, life has pretty much returned to normal this year, and I sincerely hope the pandemic is now in the rearview mirror and will soon be forgotten. The hardest part during the preceding two years were the long periods of lockdown and home schooling, especially for our preschooler.  When my wife was working from home we had four computers whirring away simultaneously, and we were all going stir crazy and getting on each other’s nerves. However, the silver lining was that we did spend a lot of time together and ultimately, inevitably grew closer as a result.

Connect with George Collins:

Website // Instagram // Twitter // Facebook // YouTube // Spotify // Soundcloud